A candidate with a well-known Minnesota name has jumped into the race for Congress. Stewart Mills, a third generation vice president of the Midwest retail chain store Mills Fleet Farm, is a Republican running to unseat the incumbent Democratic Congressman Rick Nolan.

Another Republican is seeking the party’s nod to run against Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Walz in southern Minnesota’s 1st District. Jim Hagedorn announced his candidacy on Wednesday at a farm in Good Thunder. He is the son of former GOP Congressman Tom Hagedorn, and a former legislative staffer and federal employee. He is calling for the repeal of Obamacare.

Republican State Sen. Julianne Ortman, who has been considering a U.S. Senate campaign, is announcing her political plans on Saturday at an event in Waconia. Ortman released details of the weekend event on Wednesday night.

Former Minnesota Gov. Al Quie will be 90 this year. He served as a Republican Congressman for 20 years, then just one term as governor in 1979, and in his 90th year, Quie is more active than many men half his age. From a horse stable in Victoria, the former Governor not only rides, but trains horses and clears trails.

When Republican Senate candidate Mike McFadden raised $765,000 in the inaugural month of his bid to take on Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, he sent an important signal about his ability to compete in a high-profile race that will depend heavily on money.

Republican State Senator John Pederson has joined the race to try to succeed Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in Minnesota’s 6th District. “I have very strong beliefs about the future of our country,” Pederson said. “I believe I have the qualifications that will enable me to effectively represent the interests of the people in the 6th Congressional District.”

Al Franken barely made it into the Senate the first time, squeaking by with 312 votes after months of recounts and legal skirmishes that left Minnesota Republicans salivating at the prospect of snatching the seat back from the former “Saturday Night Live” star in 2014.

Democratic voters in Minneapolis got together this weekend to pick their preference for the city’s next mayor. They couldn’t reach a decision, but if the recent past is any indication, the next mayor of Minneapolis will be a DFLer. Of the 25 biggest U.S. cities, only Indianapolis and Fort Worth have Republican mayors.

The Republican candidate for governor in 2010 is trying for a political comeback as he joins the race to succeed Michele Bachmann in Congress. Tom Emmer was announcing his campaign Wednesday in his hometown of Delano. Emmer says his narrow 2010 governor’s race loss to Mark Dayton will make him a stronger candidate, and that he wants to follow in Bachmann’s footsteps fighting what he called “the ever-growing size of government.”

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann has rushed out a television ad in hopes of capitalizing on the latest U.S. House vote to undo President Barack Obama’s health care law. The Republican critic of the Affordable Care Act — dubbed Obamacare by foes — was to begin airing the ad Thursday night in Twin Cities market. She put about $85,000 into the TV spot.